I’m so glad you’re sticking with this race, Nikki Haley.
You finished second in the New Hampshire primary and now everyone says it’s over.
But it’s not over. It’s only just begun.
Because you’ve cracked the code. You’re a threat to Donald Trump and his near-decade dominance of the Republican Party.
You threaten him because you have all the qualities this party desperately needs.
You’re a model of decency and good character, a responsible leader with adult judgment.
And you are waging a charm offensive that brings out the worst in him.
Trump’s New Hampshire victory speech was a thug’s manifesto. A demand that you submit.
He wants to control you and he cannot, so he says things like, “I don’t get too angry — I get even.”
What does that mean?
That’s not how U.S. presidential candidates speak. That’s how mob bosses speak.
That Donald Trump can speak that way so freely shows you the rot that has set into our body politic.
American politics should be the art of persuasion — the advance of ideas and aspirations that solve our problems and lift our people.
Politics should be the clarion to progress, not the flex of brute force.
On Tuesday night, Trump was all brute force.
“Who the hell was the impostor that went up on the stage that went before and claimed victory?” he said of Haley. “She did very poorly actually.”
Then he sent out his new enforcer, Pee Wee Ramaswamy, to swing the tire iron.
Why a landslide win in Iowa:Is trouble for Trump
“What we see right now with her continuing in the race is the ugly underbelly of American politics,” Ramaswamy said.
“Ugly underbelly?” Because Haley still competes only two states into this contest?
Oh, piffle.
Not only should Haley stay in the race, she should push every button that makes Trump crazy.
No need to be mean. No need to be him. Be subtle and then stand back and let Trump set himself on fire.
If I’m Haley, here’s the speech I would deliver now:
“Donald Trump badly wants to close the book on the 2024 Republican primary. He says it’s over. That he won.
“Of course, he says that.
“But did you notice there was someone even more eager than Trump to declare the Republican primary over?
“That’s right.
“Joe Biden.
“Did you see what Biden put out on Tuesday night?
“Let me read it to you:
“Quote: ‘It’s now clear that Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee.’ Unquote.”
“It’s now CLEARRRR?
“The only thing CLEARRRR is that Joe Biden and the Democrats want to run against Donald Trump in the fall.
“Republican voters need to tell Joe Biden that the Democrats don’t choose our nominee.
“The Democrats want to run against Donald Trump because Trump’s been phoning it in this entire election.
“He’s been running his campaign from the back nine on Mar-A-Lago, skipping debates, skipping the diners and state fairs. Skipping the people and the human contact.
“Trump campaigns by jumbo jet. He flies in for a few hours and then he flies out.
“And Joe Biden, well, he wants to face Donald Trump because he’s also a homebody.
“He beat Trump last time without even leaving his basement.
“Well, not this time.
“This time, I’m here to make the boy in the basement and the boy on the back nine actually work for your vote.”
“No more free rides, fellas.”
Then, to really make Trump crazy, Haley should finish with this little flourish.
“Donald Trump says this election is over and he won. That I need to concede.
“You know how many delegates Trump has won?
“Thirty-two.
“By my count, that means he only needs 1,183 to win the nomination.
“So, I think I’ll just stick around for South Carolina and Super Tuesday.
“And lest anyone forget, I’d like to make this special shoutout to the people of New Mexico.
“Your primary falls last in this cycle. But you’re not least. I want you to know that even though it’s not until June, I’ll be punching my ticket for Santa Fe.
“All aboard!”
That should do it. That should ignite the afterburners in Trump’s ears and eye sockets.
Phil Boas is an editorial columnist for The Arizona Republic. Email him at phil.boas@arizonarepublic.com.
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